Comparison of tension stiffening for plain and steel fibre reinforced concrete

Effective use of fibre concrete in structural applications requires appropriate material testing that can provide the specific material properties needed for the particular type of analysis that is being used by the engineer for design. This paper investigates the postcracking tensile response of axially reinforced concrete specimens made with both plain and steel fibre reinforced concrete, Results are presented for members subjected to both monotonic and cyclic loading, and the tension stiffening tests provide information on the average tensile forces carried by the cracked concrete in reinforced concrete. The steel fibre concrete used in this study effectively increased the tension stiffening of the concrete and reduced the crack spacing by developing more cracks. This provided a stiffer member with less deformation and resulted in better crack width control. Cyclic load tests demonstrate that limited amounts of cyclic loading do not have a significant effect on either tension stiffening or crack width control for the type and dosage of fibres used in this study.